Five Steps for Finding Better Employees

You've got to make a compelling case as to why this is the career for them.

Write excellent ads that attract top talent. What you say communicateswho you are and what you have to offer. Recruiting is a form of sales. Since you’reselling your company, you have to make a compelling case for working there.

Simplify the application process. Make the entire process as convenientas possible. Prospective employees should be able to fill out an application ata Web site, and any tests or profiling tools should be available through the Webor by phone.

Develop relationships. "At any given point, most people are employed,regardless of the economy," notes Kevin Bethke, CEO at Hire.com. "So logicdictates that serving employed, or ‘passive’ applicants increases your oddsof success by orders of magnitude. Passive applicants increase the number andquality of potential hires a company can make."

Use a powerful applicant-tracking system. A well-designedapplicant-tracking system can filter and screen résumés and provide a centralrepository for potential candidates. When the system aligns with businessprocesses, it’s possible to identify talent more quickly and reduce hiringtime. The net result is that you can snatch talented individuals before yourcompetitors do.

Make sure that you’ve built a comprehensive solution and alignedbusiness processes with technology. An effective recruiting solution has manypieces, including applicant tracking, screening, testing, interviewing, andbackground checks. All of these components must mesh with business processes andcreate an end-to-end solution.